Grain-car door.



PATBNTED MAR. 17, 1908.-

W. L. AURAND.

GRAIN GAR DOOR.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 26, 1906.

[NI/EN'IOR.

A TTORNE 51%. fi imalwi. Azimnd WILLIAM L. A'URAND, OF MILFORD,ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-CAR DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Application filed March 26, 1906. Serial No. 308,196.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'ILLIAM L. AURAND, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at Milford, in the county of Iroquois and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful Grain-Car Door, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to grain car-doors and has for its object toprovide a door capable of being swung outwardly to open position andwhich may also be swung laterally and upwardly to inoperative positionat the top of the car.

A further object of the invention is to provide a door comprising aplurality of independently movable members one of which is formed with apivoted section to permit the contents of the car to be convenientlyinspected.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for mountingthe lower door section and means for locking said section in closed oroperative position.

A still further object of the invention is to generally improve thisclass of devices so as to increase their utility, and durability andefficiency as well as to reduce the cost of manufacture.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the interior of a car. Fig.2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a front elevation of the lower door section. Fig. 4 is a transversesectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview of the bar supporting brackets and connecting links. Fig. 6 is alongitudinal sectional view showing one of the bearing plates or socketsfor the reception of the supporting bar. Fig. 7 is a side elevationpartly in section of the catch for locking the free end of the lowerdoor section in elevated position.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of thefigures of the drawings.

The improved door may be used in connection with different styles ofcars and by way of illustration is shown applied to a grain-car of theordinary constructio in I which 5 designates the body of the carprovided with spaced side posts or jambs 6 and 7 defining a doorreceiving opening 8.

Secured to the posts 7 are spaced supporting brackets 8 preferably inthe form of bolts the free ends of which there bent laterally asindicated at 9, are provided with terminal loops 10 adapted to receivethe threaded extensions of a connecting link or bolt 11. Theintermediate portion of the bolt 11 is curved or bowed inwardly as shownand provided with a centrally disposed opening or recess 12 adapted toreceive one end of a door supporting member or bar 13, the opposite endof which is detachably seated in a socket or wear plate 14 fitted withinan opening in the post 6. The bar 13 extends transversely across thedoor receiving opening 8 and is provided with an enlarged head 15adapted to engage the bolt 11 and prevent longitudinal movement of saidbar, there being a recess 16 formed in the adjacent surface of the post7 for the reception of the bar, as shown.

Depending from the bar 13 and secured thereto in any suitable manner asby strap irons 17 is the lower section 18 of the graincar-door. Mountedfor sliding movement on each end of the section 18 are sliding plates 19adapted to engage locking grooves or flanges 20 of bearing plates 21,the latter be: ing bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to the posts 6and 7 as shown. The plates 19 are moved into and out of engagement withthe locking flanges 20 by means of a hand operated lever 22 operativelyconnected to the plates through the medium of links 23 so that byrotating the lever 22 in one direction the plates 19 will be withdrawnto permit the section 1.8 to be swung outwardly to open position andwhen the handles are rotated in the opposite direction the plates willengage the locking flanges and thereby retain the door in closedposition.

The upper section 23 of the door is provided with strap hinges 24 whichengage staples or bolts 25 secured to the upper crossbeam of the dooropening, said strap hinges 24 being provided with laterally extendinglugs 26 in which are pivotally mounted rods 27 having their oppositeends operatively connected to a movable section 28 carried by the member23. By having the member 23 formed with the movable section 28 thelatter may be swung inwardly when it is desired to inspect the contentsof the car without the necessity of opening either section of the door.

Arranged within the car and secured to one of the vertical studs orposts 29 is a plate or bracket 30 preferably arranged in .alinement withthe socket 14 and adapted to receive the free end of the bar 13 whensaid bar is moved laterally to inoperative position against the interiorwalls of the car. As a means for supporting the lower section 13 of thedoor in elevated position there is provided a catch 31 pivotally mountedon a bracket 32 secured to the upper longitudinal beam of the car andprovided with a recess 33 adapted to receive the free edge of thesection 18, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 7 of the drawings.

The operation of the device is as follows:

When it is desired to discharge a portion of the contents of the car thelocking plates are moved to inoperative position by rotating the handle2-2 and the lower door section 18 swung laterally to open positionbeyond the side posts of the door. The upper section 23 may then beswung inwardly towards the top of the car and supported in elevatedposition by a suitable hook or catch, not shown.

When it is desired to expose the door opening the operator grasps thefree end of the bar 13 and moves the same laterally in the arc of acircle into engagement with the bracket 30, the section 18 being thenswung upwardly until the free edge of said section engages the recess inthe catch 31 thus supporting the door with the locking mechanism next tothe side of the car as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of thedrawings.

By having the bolt swiveled in the supporting brackets and thesupporting bar mounted for rotation in the bolt, the bar is freeto'swing laterally within the car and the door to swing upwardly toinoperative posi tion in the manner before described.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. The combination with a car having a plurality of spaced side poststwo of which are spaced apart to form a door opening, spaced bracketssecured to one of the door posts on the opposite side thereof from thedoor opening, a link pivotally mounted in said brackets, there being atransverse recess formed in the bracket carrying post and socketscounter sunk in the adjacent posts and disposed in horizontal alinementwith the transverse recess, a horizontally disposed rod seated in thetransverse recess and one of said sockets and having one end thereofsecured to the link, a door depending from the rod and forming a closurefor the door opening, the free end of said rod being movable in ahorizontal plane in engagement with the other socket, thereby to permitthe door to be swung upwardly to inoperative position against theadjacent inner walls of the car.

2. The combination with a car having spaced door posts defining a dooropening, spaced brackets secured to one of the posts on the oppositeside thereof from the door opening and having their free ends bent toform angularly disposed arms terminating in eyes, a link extendingthrough the eyes in the brackets and having the opposite ends threadedand an intermediate portion thereof bowed laterally and provided with acentrally disposed aperture forming a bearing, there being a transverserecess formed in the adjacent post and disposed in alinement with saidbearing, a socket counter sunk in the opposite post and arranged inhorizontal alinement with the recess, a horizontally disposed rod seatedin the recess and socket, respectively, and having one end thereof extended through the aperture in the link and provided with an enlargedhead bearing against the bowed portion of said link, a door sectiondepending from the rod and forming a closure for the lower portion ofthe door opening, said rod and door being 1novable laterally in ahorizontal plane and thence upwardly to inoperative position in contactwith one side of the car, means for supporting the rod in inoperativeposition, and a catch for locking the door against accidentaldisplacement when the latter is tilted upwardly to elevated position.

In testimony that 1 claim the foregoing as my own, 1 have heretoaflixeol my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAB! L. AURAND.

\Vitnesses S. C. GILMORE, W. C. PERKINS.

